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I just got back from a little vacation to Ocean City with the girls. But before I left Shannon and I went to Spoon in East Liberty for a very tasty dinner. We also had some fun going to a trunk show at Luxe showroom around the corner that a friend (Adam) suggested I check out. So I dragged Shannon there for a few hours to meet up with him and look at some jewelry and clothes. I love how East Liberty is in transformation (like much of the city). There are still some sketchy areas, but with all of the restaurants and stores it’s definitely up and coming.

Back to the food! Shannon and I went there because I wanted to go someplace in East Liberty and it was restaurant week and Spoon was on the list. I originally had every intention of ordering the chef’s restaurant week menu, but there was a halibut with a goat cheese ravioli that sounded too good not to get. Shannon and I actually both ended up getting that.

I started with an heirloom tomato salad that was fantastic. I love how each of the tomatoes have their own flavor and texture. They were all similar but different.

Shannon got a salad with a wonderful dressing.

We ended up sharing both so we could both try everything. Since we were ordering the same meal I’m only giving you a review of the halibut. It was absolutely delicious. The fish was cooked perfectly and I loved how it was served. The ravioli was also wonderful, I love the tang of goat cheese in a ravioli.

The only other thing I’ll mention is a rum drink that I had at the trunk show. When we got there I tried a friend’s rum drink and immediately went to find one of my own. It was a spicy rum punch. It tasted like autumn. At first the guy making the drink laughed at my description, but I’m telling you that I was spot on (Shannon agreed with me, so I felt justified in my description). If I can find what was in it I will let everyone know!

Now back to the 3 loads of laundry that I have to do after coming back from vacation.

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I went to a new Mexican restaurant in the South Side, La Palapa, tonight with Jen. I had actually been to this place once before but I only took on picture and I only tried my own dish. I knew I’d be back to do a better review. And hey, at this point I’ve ordered two things as well as having food from my awesome friend who likes to share!

This place is super tiny, I’d say they can only fit about 22 people (there are about 8 tables if memory serves me correctly). The first time I went it was a Saturday night and there were six of us. We definitely needed a reservation. Even on that super rainy night, the girl there told me that they were at an hour wait at the time we arrived. On a Tuesday night at 6 pm there was no need for a reservation and it still wasn’t that busy when we left around 7.

On my first trip to this great new place I ordered something a little different at the recommendation of our server. I got the Lengua en Salsa Verde, in layman terms, beef tongue with green salsa. I know it sounds weird, but it was delicious. It just tasted like regular beef. I love their salsa verde, it was great with the beef. The texture was definitely different, it was softer, but the dish was fantastic and if you are at all adventurous, you should order it!

Tonight when I walked in Jen had read my mind and ordered chips and guacamole, they were just waiting for me to arrive. And this is great guac and homemade chips. Now I won’t lie, I really still prefer the guac at Round Corner Cantina best (it’s simple), but this was really good. It was smooth with just a few chips and some queso fresco on top. And I love the chips too, they are crispy, fresh and I believe fried there.

Since I’d already been here once and since Jen is a sharer we decided to order some chicken enchiladas with the salsa verde and steak fajitas. The steak was sliced thin and sauteed with a spicy red sauce and lots of onion and peppers. They served it with warm corn tortillas and a side of rice and beans.

The enchiladas had that amazing salsa verde on them. Yum! They were done with corn tortillas, which I honestly prefer to flour, so they have a little more texture to them than a lot of other enchiladas. Overall I really enjoyed these. I could have used a little more salsa, and I’m sure they would have brought some out if I had asked!

With the chips it was way too much food, but it was all so delicious. Jen and I ended up taking most of our meals home since we devoured the chips as an appetizer.

Overall I would highly recommend this new little restaurant. The service is really good, they are very accommodating. I’m really hoping that this little place gets the business it deserves. They are doing a tasting menu for restaurant week (which is next week fyi) so hopefully that will draw some people in. Pittsburgh is seriously lacking decent Mexican food so I am super excited to see this place open up and definitely would recommend it as a place to try out!